Paul Van Dyk

For those intimidated by the stop-start intensity of dubstep, trance DJ Paul Van Dyk has dusted off his beat-making shoes to beef up his trademark chill sound after an absence from the club world. Rejoice, ravers: The electronica of old still lives in a world dominated by seizure staples like Skrillex. Van Dyk spearheaded the genre’s boom in the late ’90s. Now that it’s been reconstructed, he returns to wipe the snot off of kids like Caspa’s noses. His type of computer blips best the modern trash with depth and unpredictably. Van Dyk is a DJ who can still nail a catchy sampled refrain rather than just replicating the sound of hell while sporting a half-mullet.

Updated 01/25/2012